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Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)

Maggie Stiefvater

Start date: March 1, 2011

Finish date: March 31, 2011

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What Members Thought

Nov 11, 2009 Bonnie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, vampires-werewolve-zombies-oh-my, 2009-books

I surprisingly didn’t hate this. I really, really thought I would based on the reviews I was reading. Stiefvater is a talented writer. It’s really a shame she wasted her skills on such a lame book.

THE GOOD

(1) No love triangle. Now, don't get me wrong. I love a good love triangle as much as the next girl. There's nothing like a little competition to make some romantic sparks. But it is overdone ESPECIALLY nowadays in YA paranormal. And there is the bad tendency of me preferring the love triangle ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 22, 2010 Kristen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Wow! I loved this book. I'm not usually the biggest fan of werewolf stories, but this one hooked me in. I am also not usually the biggest fan of the device where we get one chapter from one character's point of view and the next from the other main character's, but again, it really worked here. This was so very romantic. Some of what I have felt was missing from the YA romance are the scenes of the 2 main characters together - so that we can feel their relationship develop. This had that, it was ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 28, 2010 Nairabell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star, teen-ya-paranormal, read-in-2011, favorites

Grace is fascinated by the wolves that live in the woods behind her house. Despite being bitten as a child, Grace loves to watch them and is drawn to the one with yellow eyes. Content just to watch and listen to their howls, Grace has no idea she is about to be drawn into their world. When a classmate is attacked and killed by wolves, the town decides to hunt the pack down and soon Grace finds herself face to face with a boy whose yellow eyes seem oh-so-familiar.

This is one of my favourite book Grace is fascinated by the wolves that live in the woods behind her house. Despite being bitten as a child, Grace loves to watch them and is drawn to the one with yellow eyes. Content just to watch and listen to their howls, Grace has no idea she is about to be drawn into their world. When a classmate is attacked and killed by wolves, the town decides to hunt the pack down and soon Grace finds herself face to face with a boy whose yellow eyes seem oh-so-familiar.

This is one of my favourite books. The whole book is written using beautiful descriptive prose and has an amazing lyrical and haunting quality. The book has quite a slow pace but I enjoyed watching the story develop gradually and found that it meant that even simple moments were able to tell a story. This is more about the relationship between Grace and Sam than anything else, but there is a secondary storyline involving the dead boy which adds a little action. There is also a vein of tension running through the novel as each chapter begins with a temperature, steadily dropping throughout the book as Sam and Grace's time runs out.

I really liked both Grace and Sam. Grace is a very down-to-earth focused person who likes everything to make sense while Sam is artistic and literary living in a world that makes very little sense at all. I loved watching two people from such different worlds interact, and it was great to see how their friends and families had shaped who they were as individuals as well as how they related to one another. The narrative switches between Grace and Sam's perspectives which I really enjoyed. Each has a clear voice, although each chapter still indicates the narrator at the start.

With any young adult paranormal book there is the now inevitable comparison with Twilight. I've read both and I must say that I prefer this. It lacks the passion and intensity of the latter but makes up for that with a beautiful and sweet representation of first love. However just because I prefer this doesn't mean everyone will, as with all things it's a matter of personal taste and opinion.

All in all this is an incredible read and I can't wait to get stuck into Linger.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 10/10

Overall: 49/50 ...more

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Feb 12, 2010 Ashley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-themed, series, ya

I really enjoyed this book. I think too many YA authors don't actually write well, or feel they need to "dumb" down their writing for YA. Maggie Stiefvater writes beautifully, there are passages so descriptive they are like poetry. She also had a very interesting take on Werewolves, and I applaud her for adding something fresh and interesting to the genre. The book ended on a cliff-hanger of sorts and I can't wait for the next book in the series due out in July.
MUST-READ!! ...more

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Oct 19, 2009 Morgan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, five-star-reads, young-adult, romance, fiction, werewolves-and-shifters

I borrowed this from the library, but I will definitely be purchasing my own copy (and the sequels when they are published).

I mainly picked it up for the beautifully done cover, but the blurb on the inside jacket was what made me take it up to check it out.

It is beautifully written.

I don't understand Twilight comparisons that I noticed in the other reviews.

The werewolves are a completely new and unique creation in their biology from all I've read. Sam and Grace are a far better/more interesti ...more

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Aug 13, 2009 Shawna rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This book was similar to Twilight, but it was different enough to make it good. It slowed down a bit in the middle of the book and there was a lot of side story, but overall I think it's a nicely written story. The ending could have been better only because it left me wanting more. Luckily this seems to break the norm of many books like it - it didn't leave much of an opening for a sequel. I would deffinitely recommend this to others! ...more

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